


Welcome to Altea Land

by kitausu



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dinosaurs, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 20:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17029839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitausu/pseuds/kitausu
Summary: The first thing Keith notices when he gets off the over-crowded boat is that the entire island smells like cotton candy and sunblock. It strikes him as odd and uncomfortable that here he is on an island full of animals, and he can’t smell a thing but the funnel cake wafting out of every door on Park Avenue.It isn’t that he wants to smell dino-poo, but the artificial fragrance tickles his nose and he can’t help but feel the whole thing seems propped up and ready to fall over any minute.-A heith take on Jurassic World





	Welcome to Altea Land

**Author's Note:**

> This was my fic submission for the Heith TEOU zine that was canceled! I hope you guys enjoy it!

The first thing Keith notices when he gets off the over-crowded boat is that the entire island smells like cotton candy and sunblock. It strikes him as odd and uncomfortable that here he is on an island full of animals, and he can’t smell a thing but the funnel cake wafting out of every door on Park Avenue. 

It isn’t that he  _ wants  _ to smell dino-poo, but the artificial fragrance tickles his nose and he can’t help but feel the whole thing seems propped up and ready to fall over any minute. 

Keith is already regretting his trip to Altea Land, dodging the children screaming and clutching their stuffed velociraptors.  But then he remembers why he really came here, slathered in his own sunscreen with a baseball cap tugged low over his eyes. It’s been almost a year since Shiro moved out here for his dream job, meaning it’s been almost a year since Keith saw his best friend. 

So, he is prepared to grit his teeth and pretend a frazzled mother did not just roll her baby carriage over his toes. 

Unfortunately, Keith isn’t supposed to meet Shiro for another hour, his friend locked in meetings about new attractions. Shiro had laughed and called it all,  _ top secret.  _ Which meant Keith was on his own for a while. He may not love parks like this, he may only be here for Shiro, but he isn’t going to spend the whole trip locked in his room while Shiro works. 

So with the sun beating down on the back of his neck, Keith moves further into the park. He veers off Park Avenue in the direction of the animal enclosures as pointed out by a perky cartoon T-Rex with comically tiny arms. 

Most of the exhibits are crowded with tourists. Children and adults alike peer at a baby stegosaurus or the dracorex nearby chomping unconcernedly at low hanging leaves. Keith beelines instead for the only free space in front of one of the many paddocks on the other side of the walkway.  

It becomes pretty obvious the reason why no one is there though. The small area is empty, the tunnel leading off seemingly never-ending and entirely without interest. Keith is about to go muscle his way into a spot at the dracorex enclosure when a door opens in the back and a man walks out leading a baby dinosaur. 

The first thing Keith really tunes into is not the prehistoric animal, but the soothing way the guy is talking to it. He is singing something low and nonsensical, a rhythm matching the plodding footsteps of the little creature. 

“What kind of dinosaur is that?” Keith asks, nearly smacking himself when the guy startles and looks up. 

His cheeks are rosy and a little sunburned, his hair wild and held down by a precarious yellow headband and Keith is struck by the unexpected wild thump of his heart under that curious gaze. When he turns fully to smile at Keith, Keith’s brain can only scratch like a record over the biceps barely contained in the shirt. 

Keith flushes and tries to look away, eyes tracking annoyingly down to the soft swell of a tummy pressing against the shirt. Keith blames the sun when his face heats even more and finally manages to force his eyes up to make eye contact only to realize he is being good naturedly laughed at. 

“ _ She  _ is a triceratops. Beautiful creature, but a little shy.” The handler’s voice is easy and deep as he soothingly pets the dinosaur, his eyes still locked on Keith. 

“I’m just taking her out to the fields,” he explains, answering a question Keith hadn’t even known to ask, but he nods anyway like he did. 

The baby triceratops yips curiously, edging around the handler to peak at Keith as they speak. Keith waves cautiously at the baby, who yips again, moving closer to the fence. The handler seems fascinated as Keith crouches down to look the animal in its big watery eyes. 

“Hello?” Keith whispers uncertainly. 

The animal seems to know not to get too close to the electric fence, but she watches Keith for several long moments before trundling back towards her handler. 

“She seems sweet.” Keith smiles up at the man, who is still watching him, mouth open. 

“She’s normally a terror,” the guy laughs, a full boisterous sound that seems to annoy his young charge as she butts his leg in scolding. 

“I was a little nervous taking her through here because she’s so shy,” the handler watches him appraisingly, a smile on his lips as he continues, “but I guess I shouldn’t have been worried.” 

Keith, whose blush had only just settled, feels his face heat up again. 

“Yeah well…” he trails off awkwardly, his hand brushing through his hair as he stands, focusing on the little animal now pushing actively at the handler’s leg to get him to move. 

“Looks like you have somewhere to be,” Keith laughs as he gestures to the impatient baby. 

“Yeah, her mama is probably looking for her now. Routine vet check-up.” The guy shrugs, but he is still watching Keith a little eagerly. 

Keith waves and with one final look, the handler guides his charge through the tunnel and out of sight. 

Turning on his heel, Keith stalks back to where he saw a stand selling iced lemonade. He needs something to press against his overheated skin. 

-

Keith can’t seem to focus much after that and finds himself at one of the many dino themed cafes back on Park Avenue. Shiro had thankfully texted him he would be done early, so Keith awkwardly munches on dino nuggets and curly fries while he waits. Shiro won’t mind that he started without him and he’s weirdly starving. 

So, intent on his nuggets, Keith doesn’t notice he has a visitor until a hand is suddenly in his face, waving eagerly to get his attention. “Hey, it’s you!” 

Jerking back, Keith looks up in surprise only to catch on a familiar face. It’s the guy from before. He hasn’t cleaned up. In fact, he looks even more wild, his bangs pushed back under the headband, exposing a ring of red across his forehead and under his eyes where he must have been wearing goggles. 

“I’m Hunk, the handler you saw?” Hunk tries again, likely taking Keith’s silence for confusion. 

He’s balancing a tray of food in one hand and waving the other around animatedly as he talks. 

“Ye-yeah, I remember,” Keith stutters.

He feels weirdly embarrassed, even though he hasn’t done anything. Hunk is watching him expectantly though and Keith for the life of him can’t seem to get his tongue to work. As the silence stretches on, Hunk’s face starts to fall. Keith can already see him starting to shuffle away uncomfortably.

“Keith!” Keith blurts out, then winces. “That’s me…I’m Keith.” 

Keith wants to bury his face in his hands but Hunk starts smiling again and edges back to his original place, towering over Keith at the side of his table. 

“Could I…join you?” 

Unfortunately, Keith can’t seem to get this right, his mouth moving faster than his brain.  “No. Wait, I mean…” Keith groans, blowing out a frustrated breath. “I’m meeting my friend. Shiro? He works—” 

“Oh, Shiro! You’re his friend!” Hunk nods in understanding, grinning again, like the fact that Keith isn’t some random tourist is the highlight of his day. 

It’s a relief that Keith’s sudden case of word vomit isn’t putting him off, even though Keith isn’t exactly sure why he cares so much. Hunk seems to be considering something as Keith internally implodes, mouth working as if chewing over his words. “Maybe…maybe I could take you to dinner then?” Hunk asks a little uncertainly. 

Keith can feel sweat crop up along his hair line despite the blast of air conditioning from overhead. Normally he would say no. This guy was a stranger, a stranger wanting to take him to a strange place… _ alone _ . But…but he knows Shiro and…Keith thinks about the little triceratops Hunk had been singing to and the words are out of his mouth before he can reconsider.

“Yeah…I, yeah I would like that.”

Hunk beams, “Good, good. Are you staying at the main hotel?”

Nodding, Keith has seemingly run out of words, but Hunk doesn’t seem to mind. 

“I’ll pick you up then?” Hunk offers, bouncing a little on his toes. 

“Y-yeah,” Keith agrees, managing to smirk when Hunk salutes him with his free hand before bounding off. 

“Who was that?” Shiro asks as he seemingly materializes in front of Keith, his eyes tracking Hunk’s back. 

“Uh…Hunk…the handler?”

“Oh! How did you meet him?” Shiro asks innocently enough as he takes his seat. 

Keith would almost be convinced if not for the sly smirk on his lips. Shiro has always been way too good at reading him.  

“You know…” Keith hedges, trailing his last dino nugget through the ketchup pool on his plate. 

Shiro grins but doesn’t press. “I see you didn’t save me any dino nuggets.”

“Oh fuck off,” Keith laughs, kicking at Shiro’s chair until he finally gets up to go stand in line behind a crowd of screaming kids. 

-

“So, it’s a date!” Lance grins, swinging his feet from where he is perched on the edge of Keith’s hotel bed. 

This is the first time Keith has met Lance in person, his lanky body even more stretched out in the flesh then through a computer screen. Lance is, predictably, just as annoying as Keith always knew he would be. But, the young paleontologist has crashed enough of his skype hangs with Shiro to make Keith reluctantly fond of the dweeby scientist dating his best friend and he doesn’t mind the intrusion anymore. 

“No, it isn’t a  _ date,”  _ Keith defends, somewhat unconvincingly. “…Shiro?”

Shooting him an apologetic look, Shiro only shrugs. “Keith…I think it’s a date.” 

“A date!” Lance crows, victoriously fist pumping. 

Keith realizes, with growing horror and…was that maybe a hint of excitement? That this is actually…probably… _ maybe… _ a  _ date.  _

“I didn’t pack anything for this,” Keith suddenly grumbles, stomping over to his suitcase to riffle through cargo shorts and tanks. 

He had been planning on wearing the same clothes from earlier, but the seemed woefully inadequate under the new circumstances of a date. 

“It’s South America, you’ll fit right in,” Lance laughs, shoving Keith out of the way. 

He chucks a pair of black shorts and a white shirt at him and Keith decides it has to be good enough. 

-

When Keith walks down to the lobby, he’s surprised to find Hunk already there and in a pair of slacks and a button down. 

“I’m going to kill Lance,” Keith frowns, staring down at his own casual attire. 

Hunk must have caught him looking because he starts to laugh as Keith walks closer. 

“Don’t worry, I know you’re on vacation. I still wanted to…dress up I guess,” Hunk shrugs, his already sunburned cheeks turning redder. 

_ This really was a date,  _ Keith thinks a little hysterically as he follows Hunk out of the lobby. They stroll down Park Avenue, the backs of their hands brushing as they are forced to walk close through the press of tourists. 

Keith blinks as Hunk walks past each of the casual dining restaurants, moving towards the far end of Park Avenue where only one restaurant sits. The Nest is aptly named, a circular restaurant perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the eastern plains of the reserve. 

It is listed in Keith’s guide with five dollar signs to indicate  _ just  _ how expensive it is. 

“Wait, we can’t…”

“Don’t worry, I get a discount,” Hunk assures, interpreting Keith’s reluctance correctly as he starts to drag his feet. 

The menu outside of the place is illuminated with gilded edges glinting in the Edison bulb lights. It’s meant to look industrial and chic Keith thinks but it only serves to make him feel even more out of place. 

“Seriously, everyone in here is going to be dressed casually. I’m going to be the weird one,” Hunk tries to reassure again. 

It surprises Keith how easily he accepts the platitude. He barely knows Hunk, doesn’t know him at all actually. But he just nods and takes Hunk’s offered arm with only a hint of hesitation. The glowing smile he gets in return is worth the discomfort Keith feels. 

The date progresses…awkwardly after that. Hunk is an animated talker when he gets going about his work though, so at the very least it isn’t silent. “And the mother, she’s really special! She was in a T-rex attack and—” Hunk makes a sweeping gesture as he speaks, effectively knocking his wine glass over and staining the white table cloth. 

“I’m so sorry!” Hunk looks mortified, quickly dabbing up the spill. 

Keith doesn’t know what possesses him, but the next thing he knows he is laughing. Clutching his stomach, full belly snorts falling out of his mouth as Hunk tries desperately to clean up his mess but only managing to spread it to every cloth napkin on their table.  

It only takes a second for Hunk to chime in, smiling apologetically at the waiter through helpless bursts of laughter as they pick up their plates and strip the table of the soiled cloth.  

“I’m not very good at this kind of thing,” Hunk confides once the table is clean and everything is back to the way it was. 

“I don’t know, you seem to be doing okay to me,” Keith murmurs shyly, truthfully.

Something about seeing Hunk make such a mess has relaxed Keith and he finds he is actually having a really nice time. Hunk opens his mouth, a slow smile creeping across his lips. He looks ready to reach out and touch Keith’s hand where it is laying innocently on top of the table. Keith is so wrapped up in the moment, holding his breath, wanting it to happen, it takes him a second to register the flashing red lights behind Hunk’s head and to hear the slow build of the alarm. 

“What is that?” Keith starts, looking around at the other seemingly confused guests. 

When he turns back Hunk looks sick. “That’s the emergency alarm.” 

If Keith didn’t know better, he would say Hunk looks ready to puke. Anxiety washes out his face, leaving him pale and unsteady. 

“And that means?” Keith asks, trying to keep his cool. 

Hunk swallows, trying to do the same. “It means—”

“ _ This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Associates, please follow protocol 297, park lock down. This is not a drill.”  _ A nasally voice blares over the speakers, repeating the instructions over and over.  

Hunk somehow manages to look even worse at that. 

“It means the gates have failed. The dinosaurs are loose in the park,” Hunk whispers.  

His knuckles are white where they are clenching the table cloth in both fists. If Keith hadn’t been watching him so closely, he would have missed the slight nod Hunk gave himself before jumping up. 

“Where are you going?” Keith demands, jumping up to mimic Hunk. 

“They’re going to shelter everyone in place,” Hunk explains, already marching towards the door.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No, no I have to…I have to go out there.” Hunk sounds as if he can’t believe it himself. 

“What? No, you don’t!” Keith tries to lunge for his arm but Hunk shakes him off. 

“Keith…the triceratops. They need me.” 

Hunk still has that faintly green tinge to his skin, like at any moment he is going to faint. But, he also looks determined, determined enough to go out into the park alone, no matter how much he clearly does not want to.

Keith takes a deep, slow breath. 

“If you get me killed, I’m haunting you,” Keith snaps, throwing the napkin still clutched in his fist on the table beside them. 

“Wait,  _ you  _ can’t come!” Hunk sounds startled and thrown off as Keith pushes past him and towards the doors where waiters were trying to get the metal covering to descend over the windows and doors. 

“You coming or what?” Keith calls, marching right past the staff and out the door into the muggy night. 

Keith is nearly to Park Avenue when Hunk finally catches up. 

“Keith,  _ wait, _ ” Hunk hisses, grabbing his arm and pulling him through the entrance of one of the many gift shops lining the walkway. 

The power has gone spotty, the store nearly pitch black as he forces Keith to crouch behind a display of baseball caps. 

“What? I thought we had to—”

The ground beneath them shakes, slow vibrations traveling up through the soles of their feet. Keith’s thighs shake as he tries to maintain his balance. Hunk doesn’t speak again but Keith understands now. They each kneel, blood icey, as the T-Rex passes within feet of the shop entrance. 

It’s heading for the restaurant they just left with almost single-minded intent. Keith suddenly remembers the sign from earlier. The T-Rex paddock isn’t that far from where they had been dining and Hunk’s anxiety becomes even more understandable. 

“Come on,” Keith whispers, tugging Hunk further into the store. 

“What are you—”

Hunk blinks as Keith starts to feel around the back of the wall. He hums, his hand clasping on a door handle. Dim light slips in between the small crack as Keith eases the door open, revealing a dirty alley behind the store. 

“How did you know this was here?”

Keith shrugs, “They have to take the trash somewhere.”

Sure enough, the alley is lined with rows of dumpsters, each full of boxes and the stink of rotten park food. It’s nearly a straight shot down the alley to one of the back entrances for the handlers. Together they hustle down the path making it there in only a few short minutes. The door to the herbivore paddock swings open readily, confirming Hunk’s worst fears as he moves ahead of Keith and into the leafy darkness. 

It’s easy to get lost out here and it’s nearly 20 minutes before they finally rest, struggling to orient a path this far into the forest without a map or gps. Hunk worries he has already taken them too far off course, too far from his dinosaurs or even the coast and a possible evacuation. 

“Hunk…” Keith speaks slowly, drawing his attention; panic makes his voice crack. “Hunk, behind you."

Hunk whirls around, surprised to see the other of the T-Rex pair bolting towards them through the forest path, jaws wide. Bracing his feet, Hunk plans to jump out of the way, to take advantage of the wide berth a T-Rex needs to turn. Neither of them see the triceratops until she is there, mouth open in a silent roar, slamming her horns into the belly of the predator and knocking it off course and away from Hunk.  

They each watch in shock as the mother drives the predator off, horn gouging the underbelly and streaming in red. Keith recognizes the little baby as it moves cautiously to stand by his leg and realizes the other triceratops must be the mother. 

When Hunk walks over to him, he has a scratch across his forehead from falling out of the way, but nothing more serious. The mother returns quickly and makes a beeline for Hunk. Keith watches as he almost unthinkingly wipes the blood from her eyes and face with the side of his hand. He looks shaken, far more then Keith would have expected for someone used to working with dinosaurs. But, it settles something in Keith, for a reason he can’t explain, watching him care for the mother even now. 

He doesn’t have long to think on it as the mother starts to nudge Hunk, pushing him into the foliage. 

“Wait, I—” Keith tries to protest, but the baby is pushing him, too. 

When Hunk looks at him, he shrugs, smiling wryly as they let the dinosaurs push and prod them through the undergrowth. It isn’t long before Keith hears the water, the quiet  _ shshshs _ noise tipping him off before the edge of the cliff comes into view and they can see the boats down below. 

There is a service ladder not too far from them, a long slow climb down to the shore awaiting them now that the mother and baby have stopped pushing, seemingly satisfied with their work. Keith can see hordes of terrified passengers loading up for evac, faint shouting reaching them even this high up. 

Keith is already trying to figure out how to get the dinosaurs down the cliff face when he has the sinking realization that this  _ isn’t going to work.  _ Half the boats have already left, and the others are getting ready. He knows without a doubt they won’t accept the dinosaurs on the deck. Besides, what would they do with them back on the island? 

“I don’t want to leave them…” Hunk whispers behind him, catching Keith’s attention. 

He’s patting the mother on the side of the head, fondly looking into her large black eyes. It’s obvious Hunk has come to the same conclusion, however unhappily. The baby is still at Keith’s feet and for a wild second he thinks about picking her up and taking her with them. But the baby butts his leg affectionately before moving slowly back to her mother’s side. Hunk gently knocks his head against the mother’s, imitating the gesture, before stepping away. They both wait, watching as the two eventually trundle off and disappear back into the forest. 

Hunk insists on going down the ladder first, holding his breath and whining in the back of his throat. 

“I’m supposed…I need to  _ check, _ ” Hunk stutters before giving up and going to the ladder. 

His insistence even in the face of fear makes Keith’s heart pound, mixing with the adrenaline from earlier and making him a little light headed. No one has ever done something like that for him before except for Shiro or his mom. 

It’s a long slog of a descent, and when they make it down to the sand, most of the passengers have already loaded up. Thankfully some dockworkers spot them and shout, holding one of the boats as they jog over to the loading area. 

No one says anything to them, but Keith spots Shiro and Lance and waves, thankful they are safe and together. Keith will go and check on them in a bit, but Shiro smiles and waves back and they both seem okay for now. He’s worried about Hunk and how silent he has gone. So, they weave their way to the back of the boat together, finding a miraculously unoccupied space on the ground where they can watch the water through the glass panels. 

They don’t speak for most of the ride back. Keith stresses a little about how close to sit until Hunk finally huffs and pulls him in tightly. They huddle together until Keith spots the mainland. He points it out to Hunk but when he turns, Hunk is still looking at him. 

Keith doesn’t know what makes him do it, probably the lingering adrenaline or the thrill of being alive, but when he presses his mouth to Hunk’s he’s grateful to feel the kiss returned immediately. And when Hunk asks him for a second date, he agrees readily with the caveat that they leave the dinosaurs at home. 


End file.
